Trust
by Asilrrah
Summary: Bob Brown's sister mysteriously shows up on base. Can Charlie protect her once he falls for her?
1. Chapter 1

"Hey Carlito, pass me that wrench." Mack took a swig from his beer bottle and waited for Charlie to get off the phone. Two hours into fixing one damn fine motorcycle and Charlie was getting distracted yet again by some chick.

Mack looked down the street and saw something that sparked his interest. A solitary figure lurking outside the Brown's house, barely visible in the twilight. Bob and Kim were out of town for a week, gone up north for Kim's cousin's wedding. Nobody should be peering in their windows like that, especially with the base on high alert.

Charlie hung up the phone and noticed Mack's interest in the Brown's house. "Let's go check it out bro." Charlie led the way down the block, keeping his eye on the person peering into Bob & Kim's front window. Out of habit, Mack quickly scanned the streets and surrounding houses for anything out of place.

They walked up the drive as she turned around slowly, her side wincing in pain when she moved. She tried to appear relaxed and at ease, but her heart raced when she saw Charlie.

"Well, well, Lisa Brown is back in town!" Mack sung out as he realized it was Bob's younger sister. "What are you doing on base? Bob and Kim won't be home for a few days." Both men immediately noticed something was wrong with the young woman, and it wasn't just that she was lurking in the shadows, face barely visible in a cap pulled down low and oversize sunglasses.

Charlie just stared, his mouth forming a tight line when he saw her. His mind raced back to the summer when they first met. Lisa had spent a few weeks visiting her brother and his family after little Teddy was born. Charlie has fallen for her hard. Harder and faster than he'd ever thought possible. They'd spent a lot of time talking and hanging out, even went out for dinner a few times. But this was Bob's sister and he kept a respectful distance, even though it pained him to do so.

"Hi guys, long time no see." Lisa breathed a little heavier than normal, and it took effort to not stumble as she leaned against the front door to steady herself. "I was hoping to find Kim or Bob home, I guess I forgot they were going away."

"Everything okay with you," asked Mack. He noticed a small overnight bag on the front porch but nothing else. "How'd you get here? Did Bob know you were coming?"

Lisa adjusted her sunglasses, as she turned away, thankful the men couldn't see her eyes as she chose her response carefully. "I had a cab drop me off at the front gate." She paused, sensing rather then seeing the look that passed between her brother's unit members. "Who's got the spare key?"

A gentle rain started to fall as late afternoon became early evening.

"I have it at home," Mack replied. He noticed the look Charlie was giving Lisa and he shook his head slightly. "Why don't you two chit chat and I'll be back in a few minutes." He walked back down the street chuckling to himself and wondering which one of them was going to get their heart broken this time.


	2. Chapter 2

Charlie finally found his voice, and just hoped he would sound normal when he talked to Lisa. His mind raced though, recalling the last time he saw her, how they hugged goodbye when she left, and how her lips brushed against his cheek before she walked away.

"So, what's up Lisa, why the sudden drop in?" Charlie took a few steps closer to the porch, wondering what on earth was going on with her. And why the hell was he reacting this way anyway?

"I just wanted to get away, that's all. Thought I'd come spend some time with Bob and Kim. Spoil my niece and nephew." She took a few deep breaths and tried to sit down on the steps without crying out in pain. Her side was killing her, she only hoped the towel would soak up the blood until she could get in the house, alone, and see how bad it really was.

"How have you been Charlie? Long time no see."

"Yeah, well, you know how it is. Been busy, last month was rough. Doing some training and drills this month though. Gotta keep in shape. Ready for anything."

You always look in great shape Charlie, she thought to herself. It was definitely true, but she didn't feel up to flirting right now. Even with Charlie. It was taking every ounce of willpower to not burst into tears and collapse on the ground after what she'd been through in the last 12 hours. She was about to reply when she heard the sound of Mack whistling as he walked up the driveway.

"Let's get you inside before the downpour starts - is that all of your stuff?" Charlie pointed to the small bag on the porch.

Lisa gingerly hoisted herself up as slowly as she could, holding her breath at the sharp pain and nodding in Charlie's direction. "Yeah," she said, when she thought she was able to speak.

"I, well, I", she stammered on, "I just took a few things, I…"

The crack of thunder interrupted her mid sentence, and the sky darkened quickly.

Mack unlocked the front door and led the way into the Brown's hallway, trying out his best bellhop impersonation as he led the way to the tiny broom closet that the Army considered a spare room.

"Ok, right this way to your luxurious and spacious guest room." Mack deadpanned. "Dinner is self serve this evening, and don't expect a mint on your pillow. Housekeeping goes out drinking on Friday nights!"

Charlie went to pick up the overnight bag as Lisa took a tentative step towards the porch. Something was wrong, she couldn't catch her breath and her head was spinning. Mack's voice sounded far away, but he couldn't have been more than just a few feet in front of her. Just a few more steps, she thought, and then she can get some rest, just hold on a few more minutes.

Charlie turned to follow Lisa in the house and watched her make her way up the front steps, she moved cautiously, and he was about to ask her once again if everything was okay. Suddenly, her head lolled back and before he knew what was happening, she silently collapsed to the ground, hat and glasses unceremoniously tumbling away from her unconscious body.

"Mack!" He called out as he quickly knelt over her and felt for a pulse. Low and faint, but steady. She had passed out, but what caused it? Now that he could see her face, he had a better idea of what was happening. Her left eye was swollen, with a deep bruise forming. Dried blood framed her hairline and he saw several deep scratches around her neck. Charlie seethed with anger. Somebody had hurt her, and had hurt her bad.

"What the hell? What happened?"

"What does it look like? She passed out!"

Charlie slid his arms under her body to carry her in the house when he noticed her sweatshirt had crept up to reveal a few inches of skin. He couldn't help but stare for a few seconds until suddenly several droplets of blood began to trickle down her side. What the hell, he thought, now what. He gently pushed up her top just enough to see several rough stab wounds on her side, with a half soaked bloody towel falling out of her shirt.

"She's hurt, she's been stabbed, we need to get her to the hospital!"

Suddenly, Lisa opened her eyes slightly. "Charlie," she struggled to speak loud enough to be heard. "No, no hospital."

"You need medical attention, you're hurt."

"You do it," she stammered. "You're a medic, you take care of me." Her eyelids fluttered as she struggled to say something else.

"Just get her in the house – put her on the couch." Mack yelled out to Charlie. "What!!" Mack roared into his cell phone as he tore into the kitchen searching for the first aid kit.

Charlie picked Lisa's body up off the ground as the skies opened overhead and the torrential downpour began. He wanted to take her to the hospital, but was torn on what to do.

"Just get her in the house – put her on the couch." Mack yelled out to Charlie. "What!!" Mack roared into his cell phone as he tore into the kitchen searching for towels and a first aid kit.


	3. Chapter 3

Charlie raced into the house with Lisa in his arms, wondering if he had in fact made the right decision. Oh, well, he thought, it wouldn't be the first time he screwed something up where Lisa was concerned. But this time her life may depend on his making the right choice. That thought sobered him up instantly. He placed her cautiously on the couch, making sure her head was supported with a few pillows.

Mack came bustling out of the kitchen with some towels he tossed to Charlie, and put his hand over the squawking cell phone. "Cover the couch – Kim will kill us if we get blood all over that thing." He turned back to the phone – "Tiffy, enough, I will be there, I promise, stop hounding me already woman!"

Charlie carefully eased her body up and placed the towels under her wounds. They needed immediate attention and he knew he'd have to stitch them up or risk further injury. Charlie went to the hall closet and scoured through Bob's go bag for what he needed while Mack rooted through the hall bathroom for some bandages and gauze.

When he came back to Lisa, she was awake but glassy eyed. Definitely in pain, but there wasn't much could do about that right now.

"I've got to take your sweatshirt off, it's soaked with blood - lean up a bit and let me help you."

"What, no dinner first at least?" she jokingly asked Charlie, but then grimaced with pain as he hesitantly pulled her sweatshirt over her head.

"Funny, very funny. You should take that act on the road." He couldn't help but smile. She's hurt, she's in pain, yet she's still cracking jokes. Damn, he had missed her.

Mack leaned over the back of the couch eyeing the two of them, and handed Charlie a few packs of bandages and rolls of gauze. Don't muck this up Charlie; he thought to himself, she's perfect for you. And you know it.

"Ok darling, tell us what happened."

Charlie started to clean out the wounds delicately, so as not to inflict anymore pain on Lisa. Thankfully the bleeding was coming to a stop, and he didn't think they were that deep – except one, one looked pretty bad. He'd have to stitch that one up.

"No." Simply stated. But she wouldn't meet Mack's eyes.

"Who did this to you? What's his name?" Mack inquired, gently pushing to get a reaction from her.

No answer.

Charlie quietly got out a suture kit and threaded a needle. "This is going to hurt, get her something to bite on". Mack came back with a wooden spoon wrapped in a dishtowel. "Ok honey, take a few swigs of this first" and he held out a bottle of Jack Daniels for her to sip.

Lisa bit down on the towel covered spoon and nodded to Charlie that she was ready. He planned on sewing her up as quick as he could – five or six stitches maximum. He didn't want to hurt her anymore than he had to, but he still hesitated for a brief moment.

Mack held her shoulders down as she unwittingly struggled against the pain, tears sprang to her eyes and she made unintelligible guttural sounds like an injured animal. Charlie kept stitching, his fingers quick and sure, while both men quietly reassured her that she was doing great and it was almost over.

"Look at my eyes Lis, you're fine, you're doing great. Just try to relax, breathe." Mack tried to get her to concentrate, to focus on her breathing, anything to work through the pain.

Just then, her eyes rolled back, her back arched and she passed out.

"She's out – finish the stitching before she comes too. And don't forget to sign your-"

"Shut it," Charlie interrupted Mack before he could finish. "Hand me the gauze, I'm done."

"Ok, I gotta run, I'm supposed to meet Tiffy and the girls at some school function thing. She's going to be super pissed if I'm not there on time." "You got this handled?"

"Yeah, we're fine, go." Charlie gathered up the soiled gauze and towels and went to throw them in the trash. Mack followed him.

"You need to find out who did this to her. She'll tell you – talk to her."

Charlie nodded thoughtfully. "I know. I will, don't worry about it." "You going to call Bob or what?"

"Not now, tomorrow. Why ruin his night too?"

Mack walked out the door, pulling his collar up as the heavy rain drops struck him as he jogged home.


	4. Chapter 4

Charlie walked back to the couch to check on his patient. She was resting comfortably, awake yet dazed. Pulse was a bit high, but strong and steady. He sat with her for a few moments before speaking, trying out the words first in his mind. Anyway he said it, it still came out judgmental. And he didn't want that to happen.

She caught his eye. "So…how am I doing doc?"

"You're good. I stitched up one bad cut. The others will heal just fine but I'm worried about infection."

She struggled to sit up and Charlie reached to help. He pulled her gently into a sitting position, letting his hands rest casually on hers for just a few extra minutes. She took several deep breaths, smoothed down her tee shirt over the bulky gauze bandages and leaned back slowly against the couch. Her side throbbed with pain, but somehow it didn't bother her so much anymore. The Jack Daniels must have kicked in.

"I need to clean out those facial lacerations, maybe stitch up that eye, it looks bad."

Charlie walked to the kitchen to get a drink of water. He had no right to question her but he needed to know who did this to her. Mack was right, she would tell him, wouldn't she? He brought her back a glass of cold water and decided to just broach the subject right away. He squeezed in next to her on the couch and gathered up fresh gauze for the rest of his doctoring effort.

"You going to tell me what happened Lis?"

She stared at him silently, drinking the water down in a few short gulps. She was so tired, tired of being on the run for the last 8 hours, tired of looking over her shoulder every other second, tired of just being. She turned to the glass doors off the family room and gazed wistfully at the rain.

He gently turned her head back to him, her eyes wide at his touch, and began to carefully wipe her bloodied face clean while he waited patiently for an answer. She had no where to look but his eyes and she felt herself trembling slightly at being so close to him.

"What's to tell? Some guy got a little fresh with me; guess he mistook me for his punching bag." Her face clouded over as she unwittingly thought back to the attack, still vivid in her mind. And then the tears came freely, she just couldn't be strong anymore.

Charlie instinctively wrapped her in his arms as her body shuddered and held her tightly as she sobbed. He murmured reassurances in her ear as he softly stroked her hair and told her everything would be okay. Inside his anger was boiling and he couldn't help but think of what he would do to the coward that hurt her.

Several minutes passed before he felt her tears stop and her breathing return to normal. His hold loosened just slightly, but he didn't want to let go of her, not now. Not ever.

"I'm sorry…it's just…I haven't slept…and…" she apologized to Charlie as she pulled slightly away without meeting his eyes.

"It's alright, don't worry about it." He cleared his throat nervously, wanting to ask again for a name but not wanting to rush her. "Let me put a bandage on this and then I can clean all this crap up." He expertly applied a small bandage and quickly started to clean up as the storm raged on outside.

She rested quietly on the couch, dozing on and off while Charlie disposed of the trash. The sudden burst of thunder woke her with a start, just in time to see the lightening illuminate the backyard and for a second, she struggled to remember where she was.

Charlie placed the spare key on the coffee table and reached for his jacket.

"You need your rest – I should get going."

"Charlie," she hesitated, "could you do me a favor?"

"Sure, anything."

"Could you…not go??" She glanced up at him with a look of sheer terror on her face, and he realized she didn't want to be alone; she couldn't be alone just now.

He threw his jacket on the easy chair and sat down. "No problem, I'll stay."

Lisa sighed with relief as she carefully laid back down on the couch and closed her eyes letting sleep overcome her.


	5. Chapter 5

Charlie woke with a jolt, unsure as to what startled him, but alert as ever. He was on the couch, having sent Lisa to the guest room a few hours ago so she would be more comfortable. He listened to the steady beat of the rain on the roof, and tried to relax once more.

Suddenly, from her room, came a piercing shriek. He was up and halfway across the floor before he realized the screaming was what woke him up. He rushed through the open door to find Lisa thrashing about in the bed, in the midst of a horrible nightmare.

Charlie took her by the arms and attempted to wake her; she reacted defensively by pushing and batting at him, her unrelenting screams echoing in his ears.

"Lis, wake up, you're having a bad dream, wake up" he shouted, shaking her as rough as he dared in an effort to wake her up. She was soaked with perspiration, her hair wild, and the blankets all bunched up at the foot of the bed. He knew she had to be reliving whatever terror had driven her here in the middle of the night and it hurt him to see her struggle this way.

Finally, she awoke with a huge gasp, heart racing and out of breath. She heard the thunder in the background as she listened to Charlie's steady voice as he attempted to calm her down. "Lisa, listen to me, its okay, there's nobody here but us, okay? You're fine, everything's fine." 

"I'm okay," she panted, "really, I'm fine. I…had a bad…dream, I must…have woken you up…I'm sorry." She looked at him, her face drawn and pale, biting her lip to keep the tears at bay. "I'm okay now…really." She wrapped her arms around herself and began to rock back and forth slowly, totally unaware of her movements.

Charlie stared at her quietly, as the moonlight streamed in through the barely parted curtains, while his eyes quickly adjusted to the darkened room. He knelt next the bed and softly spoke to her, keeping his eyes on hers the whole time. 

"Are you alright?"

"Yes..I'm fine."

"You don't seem fine."

"Well, I am." She paused and turned away from Charlie. "Can you get me a drink of water please?" Her voice wavered, and she felt his eyes still on her, as she tried to act stronger than she felt.

"Sure." He stood up and peered around for her overnight bag. "You're drenched in sweat, you've got to change. Where's your stuff?

She pointed wordlessly to the low chest at the foot of the bed. Charlie rummaged through her clothing and few personal effects to pull out a random tee shirt.

"Here you go," he handed her the fresh shirt and turned to leave. "I'm going to see if there's anything to help you sleep." He walked out to the hall bathroom and proceeded to search the medicine cabinet for a few minutes, giving her time to change. Not finding anything useful besides a couple Tylenol PMs, he re-entered the bedroom just in time to see Lisa unhurriedly pulling her shirt down carefully over the bandages.

His heart suddenly ached, as his mind flashed back to the day he came upon Lisa and Serena playing in the kiddie pool last summer. He remembered how beautiful she looked, how much fun she was having spending time with the children. And with him too, he thought. They went out for dinner a few times sure, but more importantly; they spent hours just sitting and talking in the Brown's backyard, getting to know each other. 

He hated seeing her like this, hated that someone had hurt her physically as well as mentally and he wasn't able to stop it. Well, he thought to himself as he brought her the pills, he'd do something now. He'd find out who was responsible for this and pay him a visit. A long and painful visit.

Charlie sat down next to her on the bed with the water and pills, determined to find out who did this to her in the morning. No sense further upsetting her tonight – she needed to get some sleep. And so did he.

"Here, I've got some –" he stopped mid sentence as she took the pills from his hand and chased them down with some water. "Don't you want to know what they were?" He wondered out loud.

"No." She smiled at him and he was glad to see some of the color back in her face. "My brother trusts you with his life everyday, so why shouldn't I trust you with mine?"

He couldn't help but smile at that thought too. But her next sentence wiped the smile right off his face, and sent chills through his body.

"He was in my apartment when I got home last night." She spoke softly, looking down at her hands, not meeting his eyes. "I closed the door, and he was right there…" she trailed off.

Charlie sat there, listening silently and waiting for her to speak again. He could only imagine how hard this was for her, and he didn't want to make it more difficult.

"He pushed me down on the floor." She paused and felt herself start to tremble again. "He just kept punching and hitting. Screaming horrible things. I tried to push him off, but I couldn't. I just couldn't. He was trying to rip my clothes off," she whispered this last line hoarsely. The tears streamed down her face as she cried silently. Charlie leaned forward and took her hands in his, his eyes meeting hers finally but not saying a word. He felt the anger in him rising up and struggled to remain calm as she continued.

"Somehow, I think my feet maybe, I don't know, but the trash can was overturned…and I was able to get my hand around the neck of a bottle, a wine bottle…and I smashed it on his head. Right on his head."

Charlie found himself nodding along and murmured out loud "good, good, that was good."

She shook here head quickly and continued on with her harrowing tale. "No, no because," she paused to catch her breath, "it broke and he…he picked up one of the jagged pieces and started…" She didn't finish the sentence but made jabbing motions with her right hand over and over.

Well, that explained the shallow, rough cuts on her side, Charlie thought grimly. He was torn, wanting her to finish the story so he got the information he needed to know, and yet listening to her sob as she tearfully explained what happened was making him furious.

"But then…all of a sudden, somebody was knocking at the door", she seemed bemused at the thought, "it was Mrs. Meyer from upstairs, she must have heard the screams because she was banging on the door, shouting about calling the police."

Charlie felt the relief start to flood through him, he had been worried, listening to Lisa relate the ordeal, and hadn't wanted to even imagine how he would react if she had been sexually assaulted or worse. But from her narration, he hoped the tale was coming to an end.

"So he left?" he wanted to take back his question the minute it was out of his mouth, he hadn't meant to interrupt, he wanted her to tell this in her own way, at her own pace.

But she nodded her assent, "yep, he left." "But first," her voice faltered and she swallowed hard, "he shoved his gun in my mouth and told me if I gave the cops his name, he'd hunt me down and kill me." She sat there, dazed, the tears drying on her cheeks. It felt as if she had cried every tear out of her body and had no more left to give. 

Charlie pulled her to him gently, enfolding her with his arms. She held on to him tightly, her eyes closed, breathing in his scent and relishing the moment. Surprisingly, she felt good, totally exhausted, but at peace and happy in his arms. She could spend all night like this, she thought to herself…

He felt her start to doze off, and knew the pills were taking effect. He carefully laid her back on the bed, and was ready to take his leave, but she pulled him down slowly and opened her sleepy eyes long enough to whisper to him, "stay."

He stretched out next to her on the bed, encircling her with his arms as she rested her head on his chest, already falling into the first stages of sleep. He caressed her arms and gently pushed the hair away from her face as he just watched her sleep for a few minutes. He marveled at how beautiful she looked in the moonlight, despite her injuries, her face shone with a glow he couldn't describe.

As he was falling asleep, two nagging thoughts crept into his trained mind. She had to know the intruder; he threatened her life if she revealed his identity. Secondly, the way she spoke about "his gun", instead of just stating "a gun". Whoever it was, she knew him and he carried a gun. Could it be a cop? Someone in law enforcement? A fellow military man?

He would question her, gently, tomorrow. His last waking thought, as sleep overtook him, was that he wouldn't let her leave again without telling her how he felt. He made that mistake the first time, but it wouldn't happen again. He couldn't let it.


	6. Chapter 6

The morning sun peeked into the room, the air still and quiet after the thundershowers the night before. Charlie woke quietly, hearing the sound of running water, and realized he was alone in the bed. He stretched his arms and felt the twinge of a cramped muscle, probably from not moving all night, he thought. A smile came to his face as he felt a rush of emotion remembering how they slept intertwined in each other's arms last night.

"Morning sleepyhead." Lisa walked into the bedroom and carefully climbed back into bed next to him, totally at ease. She sat cross-legged and just smiled at him. "Sleep well?" God, he looked good first thing in the morning, she thought to herself. Tousled curly hair, solemn brown eyes that could make her melt and that grin, just like a Cheshire cat! She felt her heart skip a beat just thinking about his smile.

"Yeah, bed's much softer than that couch out there" he said with a chuckle. "How about you – no more nightmares I guess, huh?" He eyed her cautiously.

"No, those pills worked well – I don't remember a thing", she met his eyes briefly and turned away, hoping he couldn't see through a little white lie. Time to change the subject. "I'm starving, let's go for breakfast." She made an attempt to get off the bed, but Charlie tentatively placed his hand on her wrist and shook his head. "We need to finish talking," he reminded her.

She stared into his eyes, assuring herself yet again that she could trust Charlie; she knew in her heart she could trust him, as well as Mack, Jonas and Hector. Bob had always told her if she needed help and he wasn't around, that one of the unit would be there for her. That's why she fled in the middle of the night and ran to where she knew she would be safe. They wanted to help her; they wanted to protect her…but could they? She wasn't sure.

"What did you tell the police when they showed up?" he asked her quietly. "Did you tell them who attacked you?" He knew the answer was no, but wanted to hear her say it out loud.

She looked away and her fingers fiddled with the blankets in a halfhearted attempt to ignore Charlie.

"You need to tell them, you should have told them last night. They'll arrest him – you don't have to be scared of him."

"You don't understand Charlie," she spoke haltingly but wouldn't meet his eyes. "They won't do a thing to him. Trust me." She shook her head slowly. "Not one thing."

"Is he a cop? Is that why you think they won't do anything?" he questioned her, striving to keep his voice even. "Because I'll make sure they press charges, I mean, look at you, and there's got to be evidence in your apartment. Fingerprints, footprints, blood, something that places him there last night." Charlie felt his voice waver as he continued, "I won't let him get away with this Lis, just give me his name."

She turned to him and smiled sweetly. "I know you mean well Charlie, but you don't get it. I can't touch him, nobody can touch him, and he knows it. There's nothing to do. No point in trying to do anything." She shook her head, relieved at finally saying it out loud. "I just want to forget it," she took a deep breath, "and get on with my life."

Charlie knew he'd have to try a different tactic to get her to talk. She had resigned herself to the fact, whether true or not, that her attacker would go unpunished and he couldn't sway her at this point. He'd have to do something else, something that would make her see how important it was for them to identify the assailant.

"Ok, fine, no cops." He stood and paced back and forth in front of the window, acting deep in thought. "But, what if he goes after you again when you go home? I mean, he knows you won't talk right? You said the cops can do nothing, so what's to stop him from raping you next time." Charlie felt sick to his stomach even saying the words, he hated doing this to her, but he needed a name. The second he uttered the word he saw her flinch as if slapped harshly across the face. It killed him inside, as he paused to catch his breath.

"That," she slowly answered, "won't happen." She paused as if collecting her thoughts, "I'm not going back. I'm staying. Here." She looked squarely at him, her eyes daring him to argue with her.

Charlie tried not to show his shock at this statement, but he was unsurprisingly delighted inside and could barely suppress a smile. Thoughts and images began to race through his mind as he imagined being so close to her on a daily basis. He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind; there was still work to be done.

"Good." He continued to pace, his steps quickening, "but he'll probably come after you then. I'm sure he'll track you here, I'm sure he's in a position to search for you, right?"

Lisa looked suddenly startled, "what do you mean? Why would he do that?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, hating what he was about to say, but continuing, "but he obviously has a thing for you, so what's he going to do when you suddenly disappear?" Charlie tried to appear callous and non-chalant, but he wasn't sure it was working. "He'll come after you, I'm sure."

She was taken aback, at a loss for words, and yet she fought to compose a response. "No, he wouldn't. That doesn't make sense. I'm sure he'll…" her voice trailed off as something suddenly clicked in her brain.

"What if he comes here one day and finds Kim home with the kids?" Charlie pushed on relentlessly. "What do you think he'll do? Sit quietly at the table, drinking iced tea and making polite conversation with Kim while waiting for you to get home?" His voice had become louder and he practically shouted the last question at her.

Her eyes widened as she realized that Charlie was right. He would come after her; he would be looking for her when she didn't show up for work on Monday. He wasn't stupid after all, and he had the resources available to find her. She never should have come to Ft. Griffith, she was putting Bob and Kim and the kids in danger.

"I have to leave," she concluded, suddenly agitated at her thoughts, "you're right, he would come here. He'll find me. I shouldn't have come." She grimaced as she got up quickly from the bed, her side a dull ache, as she wrung her hands helplessly and tried to figure out what to do next. "I can't let anything happen to them."

He went to her and took her by the arms. "No, you don't have to leave, we can help you, tell me who it is and we can help." The last thing he wanted was for her to leave, he thought glumly. He knew she would be safe on base, but how to make her see that?

She shook her head wildly, hear eyes shone with fear, "no, you don't understand," she yelled at him, "he can get on the base, he can get anywhere. I have to leave, it's the only way." She looked at him, terrified, out of breath and fighting back tears. She struggled to get free, she hadn't thought it would come to this; she couldn't bear it if anything happened to Kim or the kids.

His heart melted. He couldn't continue to act so impassive, after everything that occurred her emotional state was fragile at best, and he hated being so abrupt with her. He sat with her on the bed and took her face in his hands, tilting her head up slightly to meet his eyes.

"I don't want you to leave," he told her, finally admitting to himself that he was quickly falling in love with her. "I never wanted you to leave," he paused, seeking her eyes for some acknowledgement as he bared his soul to her. "I should have told you that in September. I never did. I'm sorry."

She held her breath while she listened to what she already knew. She instantly realized that she didn't come to the base to because of her brother. She came because she was hurt and scared and she needed Charlie. She needed him to protect her and keep her safe.

"I shouldn't have left," she whispered to him, her heart aching for him. "I didn't want to leave you Charlie."

He leaned in toward her as they kissed gently, yet tenderly. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. He felt her heart beating furiously next to his, and he knew he wouldn't let her go this time.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Charlie loosened his hold on Lisa slightly, not wanting to rush the moment, but nonetheless still determined to get the name he so desperately wanted. He smiled at her as he met her eyes with a questioning glance. She knew she would tell him, and she knew he wouldn't let anything to happen to her.

She took a deep breath, "Jack Sterling." There, she said it. It was out and done. She stared as Charlie's eyes clouded over with recognition.

"Jack Sterling? Jack Sterling, from the Bureau?" Charlie wondered fleetingly if he had heard wrong, surely she wasn't implicating one of the top ranking FBI officials in the Jacksonville Field Office. 

"Oh," she deadpanned, "you've heard of him."

Her eyes wrinkled slightly and she worriedly braced herself against the alarming thought that he somehow wouldn't believe her. She quickly second guessed herself as she saw the softness in his eyes and heard the tenderness in his voice.

"I'm going to talk to Jonas – we'll figure something out, don't worry." Charlie saw the shadow of doubt cross her face and tried to ease her mind. "We'll go to the Colonel; he can put an alert out for the front gate. If Sterling tries to get on base, we'll know immediately."

But Charlie knew that wouldn't do much good, if Jack Sterling wanted to get on base covertly, there were a number of ways it could be done. Sterling was an up and coming big shot at the local FO, thanks to his father's well placed political support. And from what Charlie had heard, he was a real piece of shit too.

"How on earth do you know him?" he asked incredulously. Lisa worked for a computer security firm, and while she was a genius behind the keyboard, he knew she didn't move in the same circles as Sterling.

"We did some consulting work for the Bureau earlier this year, you know preventive security measures." Warming up to her specialty, she continued, "Basically we try to hack in and see how good the government firewall really is, that sort of thing. It's a lot of fun."

He was glad to hear the levity in her voice, he smiled at her and before he realized what he was doing, he had brought her hand up to his face and gently started to kiss her fingers.  
Mack & Jonas walked up the Brown driveway as the morning sun peeked out from slow drifting clouds. Jonas spoke assuredly into his cell phone, trying his best to convince Bob that the situation was under control; there was no need for the Browns to cut their vacation short.

"She's fine Bob, just a few bumps and bruises, Charlie fixed her up last night." He paused to ring the doorbell, "no, not necessary, we are taking care of things."

Mack shook his head again, knowing that Bob was ready to pack up and come home immediately but that only Jonas could convince him to stay put.

"Fine, fine, that's not a problem at all. Molly's waiting for her at our house, she will be well taken care of, I promise you that my friend." Jonas was slightly shocked to see Grey answer the door, but quickly recovered as he walked into the house, trailed by a smirking Mack. 

"She's right here, hold on," Jonas smiled warmly as Lisa stepped out into the living room and smiled at the men. She gave him a quick hug hello and walked off to the kitchen with the cell phone to speak with her brother.

Mack casually turned to glance into the spare bedroom, seeing the bed covers rumpled and the pillows askew, he raised his eyebrows and grinned at Charlie. "Stayed the night I see," he commented knowingly.

"It's not what you think…"

"Oh, come off it, I saw the way you two were looking at each other…"

"I'm serious, nothing happened. She asked me to stay. She was up all night..." 

"All night you say," Mack whistled, "you dog!" 

"With nightmares," Charlie retorted, "she's petrified and had a rough night." He glared at Mack, his heart racing as he wondered if it was that obvious he had a thing for Bob's sister. 

The two men quieted down suddenly as they heard Lisa's raised voice echoing through from the kitchen. She was three years younger than Bob, but she took charge and insisted he remain with his family for the rest of their vacation, repeatedly reassuring him that she was fine and the guys would take care of her till he got home. 

Jonas turned to the men, "Gentlemen," his authoritarian voice boomed out, "let's get on with it." He addressed his next comment to Charlie, "Did we get a name yet?"

Charlie nodded, "Jack Sterling." He heard Mack's quick intake of breath and saw Jonas's eyebrows go up slightly.

"They were dating," Jonas questioned Charlie.

"No," he shook his head and explained, "he took her out to dinner a couple times, but she wasn't interested in him and broke it off. That was a little over a week ago. Friday night," Charlie felt himself hesitate slightly, "he broke in to her apartment and attacked her." He quickly filled them in on what had occurred, and made sure to include Sterling's threat to kill Lisa at the end.

"Unbelievable. What did he say when the police questioned him?" Mack asked, keeping an eye on the kitchen entranceway for Lisa.

"They didn't," Charlie, replied, "she didn't tell them who did it, I told you, she's…" He heard Mack cough and stopped mid sentence.

At that moment, Lisa walked out of the kitchen and the men turned to face her.

"Everything all right," Charlie softly enquired, walking towards her. Jonas interrupted to ask Lisa if she felt up to visiting with Molly at the Blane household down the street.

"Why don't you get changed," he asked "And Charlie will walk you over there, ok?"

She nodded her assent, "sure, just give me a few minutes." She smiled shyly at Charlie and started to reach for his arm, before quickly realizing all eyes were on her, so she hurriedly turned and went to change. 

Mack's face tightened as she left the room, and he gravely turned around to face Jonas, "so what are we going to about this?" 

Charlie walked back to the men, the anger apparent in his tone, "he's going to pay for this, he's not getting away with it, I'm telling you Top, I'm not going let him get away with this."

Jonas nodded his agreement, and paced the floor, deep in thought. He knew his men were riled up, and rightfully so. After all, he had a daughter, and he knew he would kill any man who viciously attacked and threatened her. He saw the hard look in young Sgt. Grey's eyes, and knew he'd have to keep a watch on him. Jonas couldn't let Charlie take matters into his own hands, as much as he'd agree with the punishment Grey would mete out.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The door opened a crack, and Lisa called out to the living room, "Charlie, I think the bandages are leaking, can you come take a look please?"

Mack and Jonas exchanged amused glances as Charlie picked up the first aid kit and walked just a little bit too fast into the back room.

"Oh, he's got it bad." Mack commented wryly.

Jonas chuckled, "well, she's a wonderful girl, can you blame him?"

"So what's our first step boss?" Mack deftly changed gears.

"First, we get her to my house. Then, we get to the TOC." Jonas shook his head and let out a sigh. "This is not going to be easy." He thought for a bit, then snapped his fingers. "I know someone over in the Bureau, and he just happens to owe me a favor. Let me make some calls and try to get some information."

"You think Sterling's done this before?"

"I don't know. But would it surprise me? No. Every man has hidden secrets, even from himself. The bigger the man, the worse the secrets." Jonas continued on, "we need to discreetly check with the local PD. Find out if there's been any charges filed, or dropped, against Sterling." He stopped speaking as he heard the sound of a door opening.

Both men stood as Charlie came into view, closely followed by Lisa, casually dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt with a demure smile on her face.

"Alright, let's get going." Charlie's face looked flushed, and Mack couldn't suppress his laughter as he walked out the front door, already thinking of the ways he would taunt Grey when this was over.

Jonas locked the Brown's door behind him and followed Mack to the car. "Meet us at the TOC after Molly gives you something to eat," he called knowingly after Charlie. He settled his tall frame in the passenger seat, watching as the young couple made their way down the street, Charlie just a step ahead. Jonas suddenly smiled as he saw Charlie reach back effortlessly to take Lisa's hand, and he was glad to see her willingly reach for his. "A wonderful girl, indeed," he murmured to himself as Mack started the car.

Barely 15 minutes later, Charlie strode into the TOC, swallowing the last remnants of a buttered roll that Molly had insisted he take with him after he left Lisa in her care with instructions to call him if she needed him.

Mack was at a desk, on the phone obviously having a hard time getting a straight answer from whoever was on the other end. "No, that is not what I said, I wanted to find out about – Could you let me finish first? Fine, then let me speak with your supervisor again. Well, who is there? Yes, I'll hold." He rolled his eyes back in his head and noticed Charlie. "Local bureaucracy, got to love it," he muttered facetiously.

Jonas walked in, finishing up a call on his cell. "Yes, I see. Thank you Paul, I do appreciate this very much. Can you get back to me on that as soon as possible? Thanks again."

Mack suddenly slammed the phone receiver down and spit out a string of random epithets at getting disconnected, yet again. He banged the phone on the desk several more times for good measure.

"If I may, gentlemen," Jonas continued, "First off, the front gate has Sterling on the watch list, but when the old man finds out we put a FBI ASAC on the hot list, he is not going to be happy."

Charlie picked up on Jonas's line of thinking, "so we need to come up with some solid proof this guy's a danger to Lisa." Charlie shook his head, "her word should be proof enough."

"And it is. For us. But we want to do this the right way." Jonas went on, "That was Paul Robinson, a friend from the Bureau. I've known him for quite a while and I trust his input. According to Paul, the rumor mill has pegged Sterling as a repeat offender in the sexual harassment department, but it's always been smoothed over."

Mack snickered, "Daddy's money hard at work, I'm sure."

The fax machine in the corner started to beep and whirl, Charlie walked over to pick up the incoming papers, "Did anyone ever press charges against him?"

"Paul's checking on that now, he'll try to get back to me as soon as he can but it is a Sunday morning." Jonas walked towards Charlie. "What have you got there now?"

"Not sure, it's from the police down there," Charlie rifled through the incoming sheets. "Mack, did you ask them about a dead body?" Charlie held up a police report and summarized the information out loud: "Michele Williams, age 32, found in her own home, last night, brutally attacked with fatal stab wounds."

Charlie locked eyes with Jonas, both men wondering if this had anything to do with Lisa and Jack Sterling. Mack replied, "No, but that must be what he was running his mouth on about, the detective I mean. He kept rambling on about a 'recent issue that was taking up everyone's time, and he couldn't help me. Guess that was the 'recent issue."

Jonas felt this was a lead worth following, "Charlie, call them back and see if you can find out anything more about this woman. See where she worked, if she had any connection with Sterling. I want everything they have on this, now."

Lisa smelled the wonderful aroma of freshly baked pecan pie and felt her mouth start to salivate. "Molly that smells wonderful, I can't believe you whipped that pie up so quickly!"

Molly chuckled pleasantly, "child, I've been whipping up pies since you were a baby, its easy as, well, pie!" Both women laughed, as Molly lifted a steaming hot pecan pie from the oven, setting it on the counter to cool.

Charlie hung up the phone and updated Jonas immediately. "Ok, Michele Williams was a temp, working with a job placement agency. According to their human resource department, she temped with the Jacksonville FBI office back in February." He paused as Mack came back into the room, "for only two weeks, until she asked to be re-assigned." He glared at Jonas. "You know Sterling had to have something to do with that Top."

Jonas looked at both men, as if reading their minds, and pulled out his cell phone. "Jonas Blane for Paul Robinson, please. Yes, he's expecting my call."

Just at that minute, 2 MPs raced down the corridor, their shouts echoing behind them as their steps faded out. Charlie turned to Mack with an anxious look on his face, "something's up. I don't like it."

They both eyeballed Jonas pacing back and forth slowly, stony faced and impassive.

Charlie quickly came to a decision, "I don't want Lisa by herself," Mack interjected, "she's with Molly, she's fine, relax." But Mack was concerned and he knew Charlie was right, somebody should be with them. "Take your sidearm." Mack needlessly reminded him.

"Call me when the boss gets off the phone." He practically raced out of the room, quickly stopping by his locker briefly to pick up his weapon.

Mack shook his head and leaned out into the hallway, wondering what all the commotion was about. What a day this was shaping up to be, he thought to himself as he walked down to investigate.

"Molly, that was delicious, I can't believe I ate such a big piece!" Lisa pushed her empty plate away and made exaggerated groaning noises. "Oh, I definitely overdid it, I'm so full."

"Why don't you go for a walk, it's a nice day outside and you know the playground is right around the corner." Molly asked as she started to clear the dishes from the table.

"Well, it is nice outside," she hesitated, "but I don't know."

"Oh, go on," Molly encouraged her, "fresh air will do you good. You can always come right back if you change your mind."

Lisa thought it over and realized she couldn't live her life afraid to do anything. She knew Charlie, Mack and Jonas were taking precautions to keep her safe and she felt much better since confiding in Charlie this morning. She smiled to herself, remembering a few stolen kisses from earlier that day, when he changed the dressing on her injuries.

"Ok," she decided, "I'll be back in a little bit. Thanks Molly, for everything."

She walked out the door with a determined spring in her step, daydreaming of Charlie's delicious brown eyes and sweet smile.


	9. Chapter 9

Lisa strolled down the block, feeling the warm sun on her face and hands. She noticed a few children playing in the street and smiled as she passed them. Her thoughts wandered aimlessly, remembering her childhood, growing up on the different bases and always feeling safe surrounded by army guys.

Like Charlie.

She smiled broadly. Especially Charlie Grey. She felt an intense need and desire when she was with him, not just physical, but emotional as well. The way he held her, the way he kissed her and looked deeply into her eyes. She knew she was in love with him and she was pretty sure he felt the same way.

She smiled as she passed the swing set, breathing deeply to enjoy the freshly mowed grass. 

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Mack walked briskly into the room as Jonas finished up his phone call with a determined look on his face.

"Boss, something's up at the…" Mack attempted to fill Jonas in on what he had learned minutes before.

Jonas signaled to Mack to wait a second, "yes, Paul, thank you so much. Will do. Good bye." He turned to Mack, "continue Sgt. Gerhard."

"Somebody just knocked out Watson at the Sycamore entrance, they brought him to the hospital, badly beat with a concussion and a broken arm. There's an intruder on the base, we're at high alert." 

"Where's Grey?" Jonas asked as he flipped his cell phone open again and rapidly walked out of the room with Mack on his heels. 

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Charlie parked his car haphazardly on the street and quickly jumped out. He crossed the sidewalk and started up the driveway, thankful he would see Lisa in just a few minutes. They'd only been apart a few hours, but he missed her already. He had a gut feeling that something was wrong when that fax came in, and he hoped he had worried for nothing. 

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Mack and Jonas raced out to the car, after strapping on their weapons. Jonas continued to try to get through to his wife, to no avail. Molly wasn't picking up the phone, and he was getting worried. "Nobody's answering, let's get to my house, now!" Jonas shouted in a commanding tone.

Mack jumped in behind the wheel, and they sped off to the Blane household.

"What did your friend say?" Mack glanced at his friend as he maneuvered through the base's residential streets.

"Paul made a few phone calls for me, turns out there was one pending sexual harassment charge against Sterling. He tried to make it go away, but last week the circuit judge set a date for the trial to begin. The plaintiff was Michele Williams."

Mack shook his head, "The dead girl found last night."

"Right. The trial must have set him off. Sterling knew his career would be over after the publicity. He must have gone after Lisa first, but the police scared him away. So he paid Michele Williams a visit last night."

"And now he's come back to finish what he started with Lisa." Mack concluded as Jonas punched in Charlie's cell phone number. 

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Lost in thought, daydreaming about Charlie, Lisa barely heard the footsteps behind her. A small group of birds taking flight at the same time suddenly startled her, and this brought her back to her senses. She sped around and found herself face to face with Jack Sterling! 

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Charlie had almost reached the front porch, when suddenly he heard piercing screams come from down the street. He took off running; racing across the front lawn, past the few remaining houses and following the path to the playground. He felt his cell phone vibrate on his belt as he rounded the corner and saw his worst fears come true. 

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Lisa's face filled with dread and she backed away screaming as he reached for her with a twisted grin on his face. Sterling grabbed her by the arm and began to drag her towards the thicket of woods next to the playground. She fought against him and struggled to get free. But he began to pummel her with his fists, first aiming for the tender area where he had previously stabbed her. She felt the breath get sucked out of her and her legs go weak. His eyes were wild with madness and he fought off her desperate attempts at self-defense. He smacked her hard across the face and tried to get her in a chokehold.

A man who could only be Jack Sterling was attacking Lisa. Charlie felt as though someone had kicked him in the stomach, and his adrenaline began to quickly rise to match his raging fury.

He sprinted the last few remaining feet and tackled Sterling with a grunt, pulling him away from Lisa. Charlie spun him around and started punching, feeling the anger flow through him. 

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Mack and Jonas pulled up to house and both men leapt from the car ready for action. Jonas motioned for Mack to take the front door, while he ran around to the back entrance. They held their guns at the ready and braced themselves for what they might find.

Mack kicked in the front door and raced through the back of the house, searching quickly through the bedrooms, but not finding any trace of Molly, Lisa or Sterling. He retraced his steps and came out into the kitchen in time to see Jonas walking out of the laundry room, his weapon holstered and his wife following behind holding a large basket of freshly dried clothes.

"I told you, I didn't hear the phone ringing, I've been doing laundry and…Jonas, are you listening, what is going on with you?" She placed the basket on the table and turned to Mack, seeing her front door hanging from the hinges in the background. "Oh, Sgt. Gerhard, you will be fixing my front door now won't you??" she shook her head and wondered what this was all about.

"Yes ma'am." Mack replied sheepishly.

"Where are Lisa and Charlie?" Jonas asked his wife.

"Lisa went for a walk in the playground, but I haven't seen Charlie, I thought he was with you two."

Mack and Jonas exchanged glances. 

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Charlie was blind with rage, he was slightly smaller than Sterling but he made up for it with his aggressiveness and speed. He repeatedly punched Sterling in the face, quickly breaking his nose. The larger man lunged just as Charlie reached for his weapon. Sterling kicked it out of his hands and landed a swift uppercut to Charlie's head. He then tried to ram him into a light pole, but Charlie shot his foot out and swiftly kicked him square in the chest, sending him reeling backwards.

Our of the corner of his eye, Charlie saw Lisa a few yards away, crawling to relative safety under a large tree. He saw the blood seeping through her shirt, and he could hear her sobbing, but at least she was alive. He quickly turned his attention back to Sterling as the man rose up and charged at him, gnarling like a wounded animal. They continued to brawl with each other, Charlie gaining the lead as the anger within him surged onward and he furiously attacked Sterling, until Sterling dropped at last. He was unconscious, and bloody, lying on the ground immobile.

Charlie stood over him panting, his chest heaving up and down, cursing Sterling silently. He kicked him a few times and then walked over to Lisa, his body bruised and aching, and his face bloody and sore. He bent cautiously and retrieved his sidearm, looking around for his cell phone that had gone missing during the fight.

She was sitting propped up against the large tree, cradling her arm and applying pressure to her injured side. Her eyes lit up with tears yet again, as Charlie dropped down next to her and took her in his arms, and held her tightly as he hungrily kissed her.

"Are you okay, are you hurt?" he pulled slightly back and worriedly asked her.

She smiled lovingly at him and gingerly caressed his face. "I'm fine now, I'm okay. Charlie…" she hesitated. He looked deep into her eyes and smiled at her, "I know."  
He pulled her towards him again, just wanting to hold her forever and not let her go. 

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Mack and Jonas walked quickly down the street towards the playground, not speaking. Jonas saw Charlie and Lisa in the distance, and the body only a few feet away. He slowed and pointed, "Looks like we're too late. Grey took care of things already. Call the MPs, have them get out here right away, and send for an ambulance." He smiled. Mack dialed his cell phone while cracking, "Well, at least the good guy gets the girl." 

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Without warning, Sterling sat up abruptly. He pulled his hunting knife from an ankle strap and got to his feet, unsteady, but sure. He struggled to make his way over to Charlie, gasping for air and leaning to the left.

Lisa opened her eyes slightly at hearing a faint noise, and was shocked to see Sterling crossing the short distance to them. Her eyes broadened as she saw the knife in his hand, she knew he would kill her and Charlie if given the chance. She couldn't let that happen. Without thinking any further, she thrust her hand inside Charlie's jacked and gripped the handle of his pistol. In one motion, she withdrew her hand and pushed Charlie slightly to the left. She aimed directly for Sterling's torso and fired off round after round, feeling the recoil jolt her badly bruised body. 

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Mack and Jonas heard the first shots ring out and pulled out their weapons while racing to the playground, as they heard the sirens of the ambulance in the distance. They got there in time to see Sterling fall downwards with a giant thud, and see Charlie gently take the smoking pistol out of Lisa's trembling hands.

THE END


End file.
